This is a summary account of an assault on the Himalaya mountain range in Nepal by some of our Chiang Mai hikers. The trek participants are organizing their vast caches of photographs, and the pick of these will be shown at a slide show later this year.

Nepal was proposed as a follow-up to the Kilimanjaro adventure of June 2016. The same individuals that visited Tanzania, Peter T, Koy, Mike, Brian and Peter D agreed to the idea of a Nepal trek. Two more hikers, Oliver and Jim, decided to tag along too, although Oliver planned to make his way to Lukla from Katmandu overland, not travel by air like the others.

On arrival at Kathmandu airport, there was a short queue to pay a US$40 thirty-day fee at immigration, and an even shorter queue to have our passports stamped. Brian and Peter D stayed at the International Guesthouse Hotel in the manic tourist district of the city, close to bars whilst others stayed in the more genteel Bhaktapur outside town. Traffic was very congested with a completely different driving style to that in Thailand: zero jai dii being shown to fellow drivers. Everywhere was dust from nearby brick factories and many pedestrians wore masks. Our driver mentioned there had been little rain and this was the dry season. He added ominously that there had been no flights to Lukla, our second airport destination, due to poor visibility there over the past three days. Kathmandu had been hit by a massive earthquake a few years previously and rebuilding was evident in many places en route to the hotel.

Our first full day was spent arranging finance, firming-up trek plans and selecting equipment rental, plus seeking answers to questions with our Nepalese tour agent and guide, Santa Bahadur. Finance involved payment of the domestic flight to Lukla, porters plus trekking accommodation. We visited Shonas equipment store to buy or rent equipment still required. Early afternoon and delicious cake, tea and coffee refreshment at Pumpernickels bakery: recommended. Early evening and a meal at Western Tandoori where chicken curry and garlic naan bread was served: the ultimate spicy experience. A few members of the group then headed for Sam’s bar and a couple of beers.

1 Tara Airlines 03Mar (TT)

Two days later we left our hotels at 5am and were taken to the airport. At 8am we boarded the small sixteen-seater aircraft bound for Lukla. The flight was stomach-churning due to turbulence above every mountain ridge, shifting the tiny coffin-shaped aircraft in random directions. Lukla landing strip was incredibly short and sloped 15 degrees upwards. The airport is one of the top ten most dangerous in the world! The take-off on flying out of Lukla would inevitably be nerve-wracking.

We met our porters at the Paradise Hotel where we had breakfast. They would carry our larger bags for the whole trek. We set off at 10am along the trail to Monju, our first night’s stop. The route followed the Dodi Kosi valley northwards for eleven kilometers amid open forest and scrub. The season of early spring meant a number of wild flowers were in bloom: pink and red rhododendron, magnolia, daphne, etc., with some familiar European flora: Barberry, Cherry, Holly. Angular snow-capped mountains (Kongde, Kusum Khangkaru, Thamserku) were constantly In view around us, the latter peaking at 6600 metres. The geology of the Himalaya mountain range is mainly granite, and the roller-coaster trail was lined with unyielding cobble stones and steps. We crossed the river three times along swaying person-wide metal suspension bridges. Along the route there were guest houses (tea houses) in every village. Every so often, we had to give way along the narrow trail to donkeys and cows being shepherded along carrying heavy loads.

5 Bridge near Pakhding 04Mar (TT)

Leaving our first tea house, the trail continued northward, but after just five minutes we had to stop at the gates of the Sagarmatha National Park permit centre. Each of us paid a 3390 Nepalese Rupees park entrance fee. There were several bridges to cross as we headed up the valley; one final bridge took us high above the river to start the 600 metre ascent to Namche Bazaar. We reached the town at 11:30 and found our accommodation. After lunch we visited the temple in the town before heading back for a quiet evening at the hotel: the yak sizzler was the undoubted favourite.

A day of acclimatization followed with a local morning hike ascended direct from our guest house up to the Sherpa Tenzing statue, military base and park museum, and then across to the Everest View Hotel at 3850 metres. This up-market hotel provided fantastic views of Arkamtse, Tabuche, Nuptse, Mount Everest, Lhotse, Shirtse, Ama Dablan. Hot drinks there in warm sunshine, before returning to Namche just after midday.

For the next week, the group continued its uphill trek staying at Khumjung, Panboche, Dingboche and Chhukhung, respectively, the latter settlement pitched at 4770 metres. From each of these localities, there-and-back hikes were undertaken: Hilary Park, Ama Dablam base camp, Nangkar Tshang summit, and toward island Peak base camp (the trail peak of 5550 metres), respectively. It snowed heavily as we hiked out of Dingboche, and we were all very glad to reach our guest house at Chhukhung that day.

Due to the plan to tackle Kongmala pass from Chhukhung (the first of three high-level passes) clashing with the difficult and potentially dangerous trekking conditions, Brian and Peter D. decided instead to head for our Lobuche destination via Dingbuche. The rest of the group agreed to attempt the pass even though rumour had it snow and ice had closed it.

The main group did manage to complete the pass route, but it took them 11 hours to do so, and they only just managed to reach the Lobuche tea house before dark. Crossing the Khumbu glacier was the sucker punch that hit the group really hard towards the end of an extremely tiring day’s hike – the half-way point of the whole trip.

24 Khumbu Glacier Looking North 16Mar (TT)

The following day, Mike, Brian and Peter hiked up to the highest settlement before Everest, Gorakshep, at 5164 metres. After booking in to lodgings there, the trio continued up to Everest Base Camp at 5380 metres, celebrated their mini-achievement and headed back. The remaining members of the group spent a well-earned rest day at Lobuche.

A decision was taken to give the second pass, Cho La, a miss due to difficult weather and potentially dangerous icy conditions. Brian and Peter decided to avoid both remaining passes, and instead headed back to Namche Bazaar the way they had come, and eventually on to Lukla. Mike, Oliver, Peter T and Koy spent three days trekking up to Gokyo via Phortse, Somare and Macharmo. Whilst at Gokyo, they scaled Gokyo Ri (peak) at 5360 metres. From Gokyo, the group headed back over four days towards Lukla via: Lumde, Thame, Namche Bazaar and Phakding, and on the first day they took in the third pass, Renjo La at 5340 metres.

The whole group – minus Jim who parted from the group mid-month – met up at Lukla on 25 March. Bad weather the following day meant there were no flights, but a clear sky at first light the following morning ensured a speedy and safe return to Kathmandu the next day. This was a relief for the two Peters’ who had somehow managed not to have a shower for more than three weeks.

Seventeen members of the Chiang Mai Hiking group traveled to Loei Provence for a three day exploration of Phu Kradueng National Park. Established in 1962, Phu Kradueng is Thailand’s second National Park. The Park is comprised of a large sandstone plateau with an average elevation of 1200 meters which provides a cool climate year around. Pines, oaks and maples populate the summit plateau, which is inhabited by elephants, tigers, back bears and several varieties of deer. The southern rim of the plateau is bordered by cliffs and waterfalls. The headwaters of the Lam Nam Pong River course through the plateau providing a unique riparian zone home to exotic flora and fauna.

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Our group traveled to the village of Phu Kradueng on Monday and spent the first night in the Khum Bong Kaew Resort in the shadow of Phu Kradueng (Photo 1). Accommodations at this new small resort were quite comfortable. The proprietress of the resort, Khun Sarunya, kindly referred us to the Ban Phuean Restaurant in the village of Phu Kradueng, where our group enjoyed a delicious meal of Thai and Issan style dishes.

Early Tuesday morning our group left for the Park entrance, there to pay a 400 baht fee per person for foreigners and to make arrangements for porters to carry our heavy items to the summit camp. We started the 5.5 kilometer, 1000 meter climb to the rim of the plateau at 9 am. Along the way we found many small shops where one could buy snacks and drinks, as well as T-shirts and other souvenirs. The route was steep in places, especially near the summit where several sets of steel stairs have been installed (Photo 2). We completed the climb around noon, and enjoyed a brief rest at the Mountain Top monument (Photo 3) before hiking an additional 4.5 kilometers to the summit camp where our cabins were located. Our group had reserved two cabins, each with three bedrooms and two baths which included hot showers. After some preliminary exploration we enjoyed an early dinner at one of the six restaurants located at the summit camp (Photo 4).

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Early Wednesday morning after breakfast our entire group hiked through a beautiful riparian zone surrounding the headwaters of the Lam Nam Pong River. About 2 kilometers from our cabins we encountered Pen Pob Mai Waterfall (Photo 5) which unfortunately contained only a trickle of water at this time of the year. From this point we descended into the river ravine, encountering interesting rock formations (Photo 6) along the trail and many log bridges across the stream that provided challenges for the adventurous (Photo 7). One hiker who had forged ahead of the group reported sighting a wild elephant through a thicket of bamboo. After hiking another 2.5 kilometers, we arrived at Than Sawan Waterfall (Photo 8), the last waterfall on this trail. While the volume of water was low, the beauty of the forest and the rock formations (Photo 9) provided ample compensation for our efforts.

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At this point, the group split into hiking groups and biking groups (Photo 10) to explore the trails along the southern rim of the plateau. Cliffs with spectacular overhangs provided interesting backdrops for photos (Photos 11 and 12). Both the hiking and the biking groups traveled as far as Lom Sak Cliff, the site of many famous sunset photographs. Several in our group stayed long enough to capture their own sunset photos (Photo 13).

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Thursday morning we checked our bags at the porter station, had breakfast and began our climb back down the mountain, arriving at the Park entrance between noon and 1 pm (Photo 14). Having developed a healthy appetite, we called the Ban Phuean Restaurant to inquire about lunch for 17 hungry hikers. The owner and cook (Photo 15) was again able to provide a variety of delicious dishes on short notice. After lunch the group departed Phu Kradueng. Most then traveled to and spent the night at Phu Ruea. On Friday morning we completed a quick reconnaissance of hiking possibilities in Phu Ruea National Park (Photo 16) before returning to Chiang Mai that afternoon.

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This was a very enjoyable outing to a National Park that offers scenery and wildlife different than seen around Chiang Mai. I believe the group consensus would support another visit to this area at some time in the future.

Five intrepid CM hikers flew to Africa in early June, four from Chiang Mai via Addis Ababa (Peter and Koy T., Mike the Hike and Irish Brian), the fifth (Peter D) from Hungary via Istanbul, all keen to climb the tallest freestanding mountain in the world: Kilimanjaro. The group’s base was the Keys Hotel in Moshi, a Tanzanian town lying in the southern foothills of the volcano.

The initial step was to meet with our Top Climbers company representatives to discuss logistics, and to assess what additional clothing items would be needed. Sixteen porters were assigned to us, plus three guides (The Crew). The porters comprised basic carriers, tent-man, cook, dunny (toilet) man and waiter. Porters were not allowed to heft more than 20 kilograms, but In the case of Khun Koy’s luggage, an exception was made, once Arthur one of our guides, was persuaded that she really did need everything.

Audit – Day 0

Although we paid a tour fee initially, the practice of tipping guides and porters would apply at the end of the trek. Individual tips would be proffered at the discretion of the group, with reference to recommended rates. The cost of the tour (not including airfares and tips, but including one week Safari also) was under $3000.

There are six main routes to the summit, Uhuru Peak, with variations within them. The trail the group chose was the Lemosho route – a total distance of 70 kilometers over eight days, sufficient time, as it transpired, to acclimatize to the altitude.

Kilimanjaro map

The first six days would be spent hiking from camp to camp, ascending all the while through three distinct vegetation zones over a distance of 40 kilometers. The seventh day, the climax of the whole trek, would see the group tackle Uhuru Peak at 5895 metres, commencing from base camp at 4673 metres, and afterwards descending to the final campsite at 3100 metres, by any standard, a huge day of hiking. The eighth day would be descending 1500 meters to the Park gate, the tour bus and back to the hotel in Moshi.

The one week Safari provided by Top Climbers comprised the itinerary in the Appendix.

Day by day accounts

10 June

We were taken to the Top Climbers Expedition headquarters in Moshi early in the morning. Here we were introduced to our guides and porters. A total of 25 people in one vehicle headed out on the four hour trip from Moshi to the Londorossi gate of Kilimanjaro National Park. After signing in we received a picnic lunch box each, and then motored for a further ten kilometers within the Park to the hike start. A large section of this part of the Park had been given over to rubber plantation and pine plantation. On our way we saw a troupe of Black and White Colobus monkeys in the forest trees.

We set off on foot from 2380m, to our first campsite – Forest Camp – six kilometers away at 2900m through tropical rain forest, small rucksacks on our backs … porters, with much larger bags, easily overtook us in order to establish camp and prepare our meal before our arrival that evening. We were told by our guides to go ‘Pole-Pole’, Swahili for ‘slow’; this would become the mantra for the remainder of the trek. Resident Blue Monkeys took up position in the trees above our tents and spied on us. Our three tents appear in the foreground of the photo below. The first evening meal of the trek was spaghetti bolognaise, and really good, indeed, every meal cooked by TCE’s stomach engineer, Chinga, was good. We had our own personal waiter too, Joseph, who performed his work to perfection. Overall we were under the distinct impression that we were to be treated as if we were royalty. After supper we had our pulse rate and oxygen levels measured – something that would be a nightly routine from this point on, in part to monitor our well-being.

Camp – Day 1

11 June

On our second day, after a filling cooked breakfast, we set off for Shira I camp at 3505m, a distance of 8km walking. The vegetation changed dramatically during the day from beard lichen-clad forest initially, to stream-dissected heather-dominated moorland. There was very little shade on the moorland under clear-blue skies. The view of Kilimanjaro top from the plateau was amazing.

Kili glimpse – Day 2

12 June

On our third day we headed towards Moir Hut at 4200m covering 14 kilometers distance. Much of the route threaded across bleak tussock-grass and scrub-filled moorland that formed the surface of the Shira plateau, a half million-year old filled caldera created by the collapse of the original Shira volcano. We took a detour to reach and scale the rim of the caldera crater. The view from the ridge was incredible looking down upon a sea of cotton-wool clouds far below. From the highest point on the rim we viewed an unusual rocky outcrop feature known as the Cathedral, pictured below.

Cathedral – Day 3

13 June

On our fourth day we headed towards Barranco Camp, a distance of 7 kilometers, via Lava Tower (also known as the Shark’s Tooth) at 4600m. This height proved to be a brief but good test of our ability to cope with increased altitude. By this time, the moorland vegetation had largely been replaced by alpine desert, and minimal vegetation. The trail from the Lava Tower led straight down to Barranco Camp, roughly 90m below the height of our previous Moir Hut camp. The trail passed through a grove of remarkable Dendrosenecio kilimanjari trees, a member of the groundsel family and unique to the higher elevations of Kilimanjaro.

Grounsel – Day 4

Barranco was located in one of the more impressive campsites, placed under the Arrow Glacier immediately beneath Uhuru Peak. Looking out in the opposite direction at dusk, one could make out the lights of Moshi town, way below. Directly facing the campsite was the infamous Barranco Wall, a natural barrier that had to be crossed by foot on the way to the next campsite the next day. Incidentally, we had our own personal toilet tent; the photo below shows Bryan demonstrating how it was used.

Straining – Day 6

14 June

On our fifth day we headed towards Karanga Valley via Barranco Wall. This was a relatively short walk of 5km. For a second day in a row with afternoons largely free, we continued to acclimatise to altitudes of around 4000m and more. Barranco Wall lived up to expectations, and demanded a wing and a prayer at several points for the more faint-hearted members of the group. Trekking poles had to be secured in our rucksacks to enable full use of hands to manoeuvre around protruding rocks close to near-vertical drops.

Baranco wall – Day 5

15 June

On our sixth day we headed towards Barafu Camp at 4663m. This again was a very short walk, but this time with significant height gain. As we approached the Camp we noticed a hiker being escorted back down the mountain, apparently suffering from altitude sickness. He was clearly unable to walk properly. Barafu Camp was to be our base camp prior to the attempt on the summit. We were advised to rest during the afternoon, have supper, and then try to get some sleep before our alarm call at 11pm that evening.

Casuality – Day 6

16 June

Our seventh day in the mountains began at midnight. We had a seven-hour trek ahead of us beginning in sub-zero temperatures under starry skies. The ascent, sometimes on rock, sometimes on scree, wended its way steeply and inexorably uphill. A train of people could be discerned like fireflies both below us and in front of us, their head torches glowing as they walked up the spine of the climb.

On approaching Stella Point close to the rim of the crater at 5669m, the sky to the east became twilight and a pronounced zodiacal light rose pyramid-like above the eastern horizon. From this point, the sky became increasingly bright with blindingly brilliant red and yellow colours heralding sunrise. The sun broke onto the horizon just as we reached the crater rim. Immediately to the west stood the impressive Rebmann Glacier; on the eastern rim of the crater, lay the Ratzel Glacier.

Rebmann Glacier – Day 7

A further trek of 200m vertical ascent, heading north-west took us up along the edge of the crater rim and across a frozen-melted-re-frozen ice sheet connecting downwards to the Rebmann Glacier. Eventually we made it to Uhuru Peak. As we ascended this last portion of the climb, we passed a girl vomiting due to altitude sickness.

Summit – Day 7

Exhilarated by our achievement, we basked for a few minutes in the warm rays of the early morning sunshine whilst taking in the 360° panorama above the volcano’s crater and glaciers. Although only 7am, we still had a large distance to walk back down, so we made haste to descend. Two of the group decided to use scree slopes, running down and reaching Barafu campsite within two hours; this activity inevitably took its toll on quadriceps. On the way down, we encountered a New Zealand trekker who had fallen and broken a leg. He was awaiting assistance to manually carry him all the way down the mountain – a distance of 12km to Mweka Camp – in transport similar to that pictured below.

Stretcher – Day 7

As we approached Barafu, Joseph (our waiter) and Ulah (tent man) climbed one kilometre up the mountain to meet us armed with orange juice and mugs – a very kind gesture!

We regrouped at Barafu Camp for lunch, and enjoyed an hour’s break before continuing the long descent down to Mweka Camp at 3048m. The path was very rocky and stepped, so after all the effort that we had already expended, it was by no means easy. Mweka is situated in the upper forest of Erica trees and scrub.

Mweke – Day 8

17 June

On our eighth day we descended a further 10km to Mweka Gate at 1650m, and to waiting transport to take us back to Moshi town. Soon after Mweka Camp, the vegetation zone changed to rain forest once more, and within the forest, we saw Colobus monkey and Blue Monkey troupes together in the tree tops. At the Gate, we picked up our certificates evidencing our ascent of Kilimanjaro summit.

We headed back to the Top Climbers Expedition HQ to witness and participate in the tipping ceremony. We handed over the tip-monies to the trek leader who then doled out prescribed amounts to the individual members of The Crew.

ABOUT CHIANG MAI HIKING

Hikes on this website are open to individuals, not big groups or for commercial uses.

There is no formal membership and no need to sign up for hikes in advance. If you want to join a hike, make sure you read the general guidance on this site and the specific hike details. Then if you still think the hike is for you, just turn up.

The hikes are shared experiences, not services. Every hiker remains responsible for his or her own safety, welfare and actions at all times.

The hikes nevertheless have a spirit of co-operation. Participants respect the leadership of the hike initator(s) and comradeship with everyone on the hike.

Some hikes involve car-sharing to the start point from the meeting point. This involves individual arrangements between drivers and passengers at the meeting point. It usually works fine, but places in cars cannot be absolutely guaranteed in advance.

You are encouraged to get involved in leading and/or creating hikes when you have some experience, or to help out in other ways.